


All is One & One is AlMei

by orphan_account



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-02 18:06:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5258495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The tale of a budding relationship between a tall, ex-Armored Alchemist and a short, fiery Xingese princess. Will there be sparks? Maybe one day they can finally meet in the middle. AlMei, but contains a lot of EdWry and LingFan as well. Some RoyAi. Warning: There will be fluff, humor, drama, kittens, and possibly an attempt on someone's life. Oh, and also Greed. Uh-oh. Set after the anime/manga.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Say Goodbye

**I own nothing from FMA: Brotherhood, but I wish I did, because that would honestly be pretty damn cool. Anyways, this story begins a couple of hours after Alphonse first gets his body back, during the scene where Ling, Lan Fan, and May say their (definitely not final) goodbyes. Everyone will be mucho sado (I'm sorry), but everything will turn out okay in the end... I hope. There will certainly be a lot of ships in this story, but it will definitely focus on AlMay (Why? Because they are babies). There will certainly be a bit of LingFan, EdWry, and RoyAi sprinkled throughout, so don not worry. Those babies deserve some love, too. With that said, please feel free to leave any suggestions of things that you would like to see in a review, and tell me what you think! Enjoy! (:  
**

**AN: By the by, I am a bit unsure how to spell May/Mei because on the FMA:B wiki page it shows it being spelt as May... So yeah. Could someone explain to me if I am spelling it correctly or not? Okay, I'm done. lol**

* * *

May stared up at Ling and Lan Fan with tears in her youthful eyes, as her mind ran over what the dark haired lord had just said; that Prince Ling of the Yao Clan would protect her clan no matter what. The thought of that made her feel like sobbing in relief for a second time, the first round of tears having been induced by the amazing sight of witnessing Alphonse gain his original body back. That had been an entirely different measure of miracle.

Now, with a much lighter heart, the tiny princess gazed up at Ling with a slight awe in her eyes. It was simply incredible; the man who May had once seen as a squinty-eyed enemy was now seen as a selfless hero, a man who was willing to lend any help that he could to all of the neighboring clans.

The idea of the lord's newfound kindness was an oddity, much different from the hardened heart of their father, the Emperor, and it filled May's heart with an overflowing amount of warmth. It was but a true blessing. Prince Ling was a true blessing. Among the pain of the Emperor's refusal to aid her clan and the trials that she had gone through in order to get to that moment – a place where she was surrounded by friends and a place where Alphonse was completely happy – it was eternally comforting to know that, from now on, her people would be safe. Finally, her clan would be as protected, as the rights which the Emperor had initially forsaken them.

Unconsciously, May sniffled as she had done before and instantly threw a hand up to cover her suddenly heavy breathing. With her heart irrefutably pounding, the tiny princess stared up at Prince Ling from her short stature, and a sense of both immense reverence and extreme gratitude shined like a grateful beacon on the surfaces of her large, dusky orbs. The feeling in her heart was almost breathtaking.

Taking in a deep snuffle of air, Princess May could not help but nod absentmindedly, as the tears fell in two streams across her face. She did not notice the miniscule sensation of the wet droplets cascading down her moderately chubby cheeks; instead, she focused on the squinty eyes of the man in front of her, slowly taking a shaking step forward.

"You m-mean it?" May eventually managed to mumble through a few more thickened sniffles, "B-But we're so s-small, Prince. We have n-nothing to g-give you. W-We'll just be a b-burden-"

At the sound of May's meekness, Ling merely grinned and shot a soft, yet smirking glance to the ever-present Lan Fan by his side. Then, with a miniature shrug, he glanced over at the two newly unified Elric brothers, who stood silently over to the side, carefully watching the proceedings. First, he met Edward's stare. Immediately, the blonde gave him a sideways smirk.

Moving his contemplation downward, Ling met the younger Elric's glower and felt the need to pause. Leaning haphazardly against Edward's side, Ling was surprised to find that the look in Alphonse's scrutiny was harshly expecting. The teen stared him down. It was honestly a bit amusing how resolute Alphonse always seemed, yet even in the form of the taller blonde's exceptionally fragile and skeleton-like appearance, there was still a remarkably firm and grounded aura of protectiveness hidden in far the reaches of his vast golden eyes. They were expressive, his orbs, and an unreservedly honest rigidity for the girl in front of him had the spine of his body unconsciously fighting to get into a somewhat squarer stance beside his brother. Perhaps as a way to show the bulk of his seriousness, or perhaps his knees were simply beginning to quake. Whatever the case, Ling deftly nodded. It was easy to see that he cared unusually deeply for May. How queer. The tired strength shining in Alphonse's withered eyes showed that he did not seem to be wavering in his support of the little Xing princess any time soon.

 _Good_ , Ling immediately thought, _I can respect that._

Beaming now, the eighteen year old prince turned back to his favorite personal bodyguard – a beautiful Xingese warrior, Ling believed – and winked one of his squinty eyes toward her conspiringly. Smiling in May's direction, the youthful prince of the Yao clan opened his arms out to his teary-eyed, pigtailed half-sister. May stared mutedly; her lidded eyes widened in gentle understanding, and a few more tears escaped. It had been so long since she was last allowed to cry.

With even his squints seeming to smile, Ling threw away his usually discourteous and senseless nature in order to unexpectedly take on a sincerely welcoming and gentle tone. After all, this was surely the only kind of tone that his sister deserved. He knew many things now that he had not known before. The Xingese Princess was the Idiot Prince's family; just like the Elric brothers, although the latter was separated by blood. Still, they were all a part of a single great family, one in the same, and each interconnected by the universal amazingness of sheer happenstance. It was crazy. _They_ were crazy. All is one, and one is all, as the Truth states.

Yes, Ling had truly learned a lot from his many misadventures with the two eccentric blondes.

"Aww, now don't cry! Come here, my little May-May. Hey, do you like my new nickname for you? Yeah, I came up with it myself. Although, I never _did_ think of myself as much of a creative type, but what do I know, haha. I'm an idiot!"

Listening to the sound of Ling's natural laughter, May sniffled once more and ran forward, tightly throwing her arms around Ling's lower half. Beside them, both the Elrics and Lan Fan each took a careful pace back, however, all three smiled in soft appreciation. It was both reassuring and wonderful to see the two Xingese royalty smiling together after all of the chaos, even if the younger of the two siblings was smiling through the water of her tears.

"You idiot," the princess sobbingly agreed; nevertheless, she gripped onto his legs gratefully, "You idiot. Thank you. The people of the Chang clan thank you. The future generations of the Chang clan thank you, and even I thank you… brother Ling."

_Brother._

Prince Ling could not help but beam softer at that name. Weirdly enough, the title of it sounded so lovely coming off of the tips of his half-sister's tiny lips. Perhaps… Perhaps this would be the start of a beautiful familial relationship. God knows that Ling could use a couple of more positive influences in his life besides Lan Fan and Fu.

Ling stopped cold, but little by little rested his head over May's own. The muscles in his arms tightened almost possessively in his squeeze. God, how the young lord would miss his oldest bodyguard.

 _Rest in peace, Fu_ , Ling silently thought, squeezing May taut, _and don't you worry about stubborn, old Lan Fan. I'll be here to watch over her for you; you can count on me._

May sent Ling a sad lip of a smile from beneath him. It was their father's fault for the insistent feuding between the children's clans; never the Xing clans themselves. It was done out of necessity, as the Emperor of Xing was the one who pit the clans against one another. They had no choice but to fight for the ability to live on. They needed the money. It was the essence of the Emperor's carelessness and non-correctable greed which bent the country of Xing from the inside out. In the end, it was the Emperor's selfishness, the hateful decisions of her father, which forced May out of her home country to begin with. Everything was because of _him_. The Chang clan's monetary situation was her reason for reaching out in her search for the source of immortality in the first place. The search had begun as an act carried out of necessity. Hopefully, as of this moment, thanks to Ling's words, it was not. Similarly, it was the ways of her father which brought upon the gradual decay of her tiny province, up to a point of utter desperation so wrought with pain that the dank concept of malnutrition and starvation was as normal as the grim homelessness plaguing the crowding streets of her subjects.

Nonetheless, begrudgingly, May _did_ have at least one thing to thank her father for, even if it _was_ both embarrassing and painful to admit. Admittedly, it was also quite shameful. For if the princess had never been forced to leave the constraints of Xing, then she would have never been able to meet the soft aloofness of Mr. Scar. She would have also never been able to meet Edward or Winry, or that one guy with the really thin mustache and shady motives. Moreover, she would have never known or gotten to know the kindness of both Dr. Marcoh and the man of her literal salvation, Prince Ling of Xing.

Furthermore, and honestly the most shameful reason for her secretive happiness, Princess May was happy to have met the overwhelmingly beautiful and breathtakingly marvelous Alphonse Elric. Certainly, she believed the teen to be gorgeously courageous and wholly unparalleled. Witnessing him alive in his body, the frail fifteen year old was as kind as he _always_ was, never used to be; an amazing feat for someone who had just been through so much. Alphonse's eyes were bright, and his smile grinned through the pain of his dangerously chapped lips. He would gradually struggle to raise his hand in her direction every time he caught her staring at him, moving his palm in a tiny wave. Then, his golden eyes would shut in the wake of his kindness, a carefree chuckle would leave his lungs, and a mild tint would push through the sullen paleness of his terribly gaunt cheeks. This was when her breath would hitch, and her pulse would inevitably quicken. This was the power that Alphonse held over May Chang.

Curiously enough, it moderately surprised May how Alphonse could continue to sustain his beautiful image whenever he looked so weak and boney, and yet, it also did not surprise her. Perhaps it was his big heart which made his pale body shine when he sat among the brightness of the day, because it was definitely not the sheen of his armor. **(AN:*What a terrible joke, I know.)** Thankfully that part of him was long gone by now.

Basically, though her Alphonse seemed rather feeble and emaciated at the moment, May's love was as compassionate and stunning as ever. Conversely, when was her Alphonse _not_ attractive?

… Actually, do not answer that. May would definitely challenge anyone who failed to answer that question correctly.

To continue, May's favorite person was such a cutie, inside and out. The miniature princess found it absolutely adorable how he unconditionally loved Xiao-Mei, even if the little panda was currently on time out. Yeahhh, she bit him as soon as the two were reacquainted with one another. Apparently no human is safe from the sharp sting of Xiao-Mei's pearly whites. That said, within the strict confines of May's pure heart, the girl knew that she loved her Alphonse dearly; she was incontestably sure of it. The delicate, skinny blonde was her prince, her cute, new china doll named Alphonse.

Likewise, it was no secret that the little pre-teen considered her one and only beloved to be the _true_ Fullmetal Alchemist, considering he was literally made of metal for almost six years. I mean, yeah, the freaking guy was amazing. Sure, Edward was alright, but c'mon now. Alphonse was… well, he was _Alphonse_!

From his stance above her, Ling sighed into the weight of May's embrace. There, the young lord gently coddled the trembling princess, as her petite body wracked with cries. The prince's grin became softer when a few droplets landed on the front of his black t-shirt, and the coolness of them sank deeply into the fabric of his clothing. The weight of them settled further within the darker depths of his soul; her sobs brought upon a much lighter feeling to his heart, making him feel a strong surge of protectiveness towards her.

Immediately, Ling could see why Alphonse had managed to become so attached to her so quickly. When holding her, the height of his half-sister seemed almost incredibly small in accordance to his much larger, though lanky build. Idly, in the back of his mind, Ling wondered if his sibling would always stay so short.

Ling whispered, "Shh, shh, my little May-May."

Chuckling mutely beneath his breath, the older prince tightened his hold further around May's still shaking form. Rubbing his face lovingly into the crown of her dark braids once, the much taller man grinned softly.

"Let's go home and help out our clans. How about it, ne?"

As the two royals disentangled, May gave another, though considerably more stifled sniffle and cheerfully nodded along with her response.

"Mhm. I'm ready. Oh, but wait!"

May practically jumped on her heels and enthusiastically turned to face the Elric brothers. Then, she stared unwavering into their eyes. Taking in a full breath of air, the Xingese princess allowed her cheeks to tint a rosy shade of pink, before she could take in no more.

Finally, the fiery princess yelled, "You better write me when you get better, Al!"

Immediately, Alphonse's eyes widened, and his heart stopped. He took in a short breath, as she continued.

"As soon as you get better, you write me! You hear me? You better write me! I better get a letter from you! If you don't write me, then I… I-I'll miss you, and then, I'll hurt you! Okay, Al?"

Staring at her, one with a look of reverence, the other with a playful sneer, both brothers grinned at her exceedingly amusing nature to suddenly explode in their faces whenever she wanted. It was obvious that there was a certain charm to this girl; that much was evident. However, how charmed were the two Elric brothers? Well, that was the true question.

Eventually, Alphonse was able to smile softly and nod through the warm sensation that was settling in his chest.

"Okay, May. I've got it," the teen was the first to speak as his honest eyes met hers, "I can't wait."

At that, May could only blush further. Not a moment later, she blanched a stark white when Edward outright laughed at the Xingese princess.

"Oi, what about me?" The used-to-be-alchemist joked loudly, "Tch, of course you only want to write my little brother, Al. Considering he _is_ your boy toy, after all."

When Edward said that, May practically felt like dying on the spot. Staring blushingly at the ground below her, the poor, distraught princess instantly corrected her statement, "A-And you too, Edward! I-I mean… both of you. You should write me, too. You know, if you want to-"

May turned her gaze away from the two of them, but sneakily gave Edward a minuscule sneer, "You pipsqueak."

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Edward seethed, instinctively taking a step forward with his automail leg.

"Well, c'mon Ling! Lan Fan!" May swiftly cheered behind her.

As if by lightning, the insanely fast princess was already halfway down the road by then; most likely to save herself from being pummeled by Edward's very thick and meaty, extremely human fists.

When Edward moved his foot, he felt a considerable weight move alongside him, and the thin body of his brother Alphonse was pulled a bit, haphazardly moving along with Edward's fast movement.

"Woah there, Al."

The elder Elric stabilized Alphonse and craned his neck downward to stare at his brother, who just leant against his arm, staring contentedly in front of himself. The shorter brother sighed when he saw that the whole of Alphonse's soft golden eyes was trained on the back of May's giggling and retreating form. A sure sign that he would one day have an irritating, Xingese Princess brat for a sister-in-law; certainly, including even a newly crowned Xingese Prince for his blonde, dim-witted brother.

At May's disappearing form, Ling shrugged good-naturedly and shot Lan Fan an amused glance. Both Xingese bowed deeply in a sign of undoubtable respect for the Elric brothers.

"It was way cool to meet you guys," Ling hurriedly lamented, "and I seriously hate goodbyes, so I guess I'll see you later? You two should definitely visit the Yao clan during Christmas time. That's when the real fun starts! Don't worry, I'll write you two!"

"Who's worrying?" Alphonse sassily chirped.

Edward grinned, throwing a supportive arm around his brother's shoulders, "Not us, pal, but we'll be looking forward to it!"

With a short wave, the Xingese prince ran down the road with long strides, deftly managing to catch up to his much shorter sibling. The tall man laughed like an idiot all the way, physically bouncing at the thought of becoming an emperor, until he finally was able to match strides with May. The two of them paused, waiting in the distance for their last companion. Staring unwaveringly, Ling stood halfway turned toward the trio with a melancholic grin, while May kept her back straight, unwilling to face the two Elrics on her own. The short princess stood in the middle of the dirt road with her arms held fiercely by her sides. Mentally, the Xingese thought that it was a blessing that her form was too far away for the Elrics to see that her hands were shaking in two tight fists of remorse. Still, she was almost certain that the two brothers would know. At least, she was convinced that Alphonse would know.

Behind the pair, the bodyguard Lan Fan gave both Elrics a sincere smile. She bowed to them a second time from behind her mask, taking a quick glance at the back of her lord.

"It was a pleasure," the usually silent warrior whispered genuinely as she bowed, "I do hope that we will meet again."

The brothers blinked in surprise but grinned.

Edward smirked, "Same here."

"Me too!" Alphonse chirped.

Feeling satisfied with her farewell, Lan Fan nodded and gave the blonde duo another smile. The lightning-fast female took a backwards hop behind her and twisted through the air, landing expertly on her feet in the opposite direction. Continuing her sprint, she began to hurriedly run toward her most precious lord and his young charge.

As she approached Ling and May, Lan Fan was unable to stop the warmth that flooded her usually hardened gaze. It was embarrassing, rightly so, but the pretty Xingese warrior could not wait to return home with her beloved lord beside her. If Prince Ling was there, then she knew that everything would be alright. No matter what, life would become as it should be.

* * *

***A Few Seconds Before***

Ling laughed maniacally, as he rapidly approached May. Stopping beside her, the idiot prince reached over to happily grab her arm, but was shocked when she gently butted him away. Surprised by her rebuff, he moved his neck to stare down at her face and gave a low sigh at what he saw. May's eyes were closed, and they dripped with tears that fell mutely upon the ground.

Resignedly, Ling moved into a slanted position toward the Elric brothers, while May refused to look back. The poor Xingese could not turn around, for the fear of having Alphonse witness her crying again was far too great. It would literally break her heart to have to witness any more pain in his eyes, especially if it was caused by her. The last thing that May wanted was to hurt her beloved Alphonse.

Ling gave another sigh, as he watched Lan Fan turn to run toward them.

"It's okay, you know," the prince of the Yao clan spoke down to May from the corner of his mouth, carefully considering the bittersweet faces of his new much lighter haired friends. The pair of brothers stared melancholically back, but while Edward was regarding at the whole picture, Ling could tell that the bulk of Alphonse's attention was focused solely on May, as his regressed cheeks were settled firmly into a concerned frown.

Instantly, the squinty-eyed prince sent the Elrics a strong but saddened grin.

"If it's anyone, they'll understand the most."

Suddenly, Ling threw up a fist. The two Elrics blinked in surprise, but a cheeky smirk played on the corners of the brothers' lips. In response, both men threw a fist up high into the air; granted, Alphonse could only raise his wrist for a tiny distance due to the weakness of his muscles.

As Lan Fan approached, Ling spoke out loud, "We won't forget you Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric. I hope to see you soon."

With that said, Ling grinned. Then, the three Xingese born children turned away from the Elrics to continue down their chosen path at a steady pace. Carelessly, the prince began to let out a happy hum. A slight pep entered his steps.

Behind them, staring with a pair of narrowed eyes, Edward gave a heavy sigh and looked down at Al.

"You know," he began with a smile, "I think I am honestly going to miss those guys. Hell, I may even start to miss the little runt if I get the pleasure of being out of her presence for a long, long time, and besides, that idiot prince needs to hurry up and become the new Emperor of Xing so that he can pay me back for all of the food money he… stole… from me- YOU SQUINTY-EYED, LANKY XINGESE FREAK! OH, YOU BETTER HURRY UP, GET SUPER RICH, AND GAIN THE RIGHT TO RULE YOUR WHOLE COUNTRY, OR SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND BEAT YOU DOWN TO A FREAKING PULP!"

"Time to go!" Ling started to sprint.

Lan Fan deadpanned, "The lord has been threatened," and dutifully raced after him.

"Wha-"

From behind them, May paused to stare at their backs for a long moment. Finally, crinkling her nose, the little Xingese princess snorted, before finally laughing outright and grinning through the stickiness of the leftover tear lines on her cheeks. Allowing a giggle to escape her, the girl eagerly chased after her new friends. Faintly, deep in her chest, her heart squeezed with a weird feeling of anticipation taking hold of it. The world was a brighter place now. All is one, and one is all.

Somehow, for once, May felt excited for the upcoming future.

"Well, that's what you get," she jokingly yelled, hoping that the call of her voice was loud enough to be heard by Alphonse, "For being a fatsooo!"

* * *

***Several Weeks Later***

_Dear May Chang, Xingese Princess of the Chang Clan,_

_It has been a while, has it not? I am fine, but there is one thing that I want to talk about first. To be honest, there is one thing that I have been thinking about since we first parted ways so many weeks ago. It's incredibly lame, I know, but… I found it extremely hilarious when you called Ling a "fatso." Yeah, Brother thought that it was funny, too. I just wanted to tell you because I regret the fact that I never got to comment on it, and every time I remember it, the idea of you saying that plays in my mind, and the thought makes me chuckle. I instantly imagine the three of you running off into the sunset, and it sets me into a whole other round of giggles. Uh-oh, brother is telling me to shut up now. NO, YOU SHUT UP, ED! Sorry, please excuse my language, May._

_Well, since we cannot simply telephone each other from across the desert (you stupid desert), I guess I will just have to write you as the thoughts come to me… I am sorry if the lot of my letters end up turning into a bunch of useless novels. My mind tends to ramble sometimes, especially when Ed is busy sucking up to Winry, which I think I will explain his sour attitude. Why? Because I am stuck in my makeshift bedroom, and no one allows me to do anything for the simple fear of me breaking (why, oh why). Anyways, at the moment, Ed is currently sulking around the house since Winry is a bit mad at him. Brother is really stupid, so he probably said something even more stupid. Poor Winry._

_Oh, by the way, brother just told me to write you "hey, Usagi." …Whatever the heck that means. Wait, he said that it was a reference to your braids… Whatever. He is an idiot. Nevertheless, how are you May? I am pretty good… I think. My body is a lot more filled out than how it began, and I can grasp the pen that I am writing with, so that's a start. I can walk around the bottom floor of our home. It is a bit annoying, but Ed does not trust me whenever I try to go up the stairs… Although, it does not help me that I fell attempting to climb them on my own a week ago. I can walk on crutches pretty well, but my knees tend to buckle whenever I put too much weight on a step. However, I am quite proud to say that I did manage to make it to the third step! But then gravity was like, "um, no Alphonse."_

_Stupid gravity (Insert a mental image of me thumbing down gravity here)._

_To continue, my health is steadily improving. On my really bad days, sometimes Ed has to help me get dressed, but that's fine. At first he was really tentative to say anything, but now he's gradually beginning to complain about it a lot more, since I am getting so big now. This is really good to be honest. I don't want him feeling like he has to hold back whenever he is talking to me or anything._

_Oh, hey! On a much lighter note, I finally got to have a taste of Winry's apple pie like I wanted to! Let me tell you, it was amazing! It certainly tastes as good as it looks. Ed and I like to fight over who gets to eat the last slice; yeah, Winry hates when we do that. But hey, I will definitely make sure to fight for your honor and bring you back some pie to try out once I finally get well enough to visit you. Granted… if it is okay for me to come visit you. It is okay if I visit Xing, right? It is okay if I cannot._

_And listen, this is another good bit of news (however bittersweet it may be), but Mustang got his sight back. Yes, he got his sight back. I know, right?! Plus, he became the Brigadier-General back at Central. It is about time. I am happy that he can see, but… to regain his sight, Mustang had to use a Philosopher's Stone. Apparently Marcoh had one left and approached him with the proposition to use it… When I first heard about it, I was a bit upset, but I could see why the General used it, however, Ed was certainly not happy about it. As usual, the two's fight ended with Lieutenant Riza holding brother at gun point for threatening the General, but eventually Ed managed to get over it… but that certainly won't stop him from complaining about it at home._

_You know… I honestly think that Ed is going to have a nervous breakdown soon. I think that not being able to use any of his old alchemy is starting to get to him. You know how his gate got completely destroyed? Yeah… the poor guy is almost running himself ragged, mentally worrying about being able to protect us. Specifically Winry. Sure, I know that brother laughs it off like it's nothing, but I fear that he is beginning to become rather distanced from us… Winry is starting to see it, too. Maybe that was what their fight earlier was about…_

_Oh, well. I guess that I will tell you more about that matter once I find out more for myself._

_Anyways, I hope that you are doing well. Hopefully your clan is okay. Ling tells us that he is going to be coronated to the Emperor of Xing in the next couple of months, which is extremely exciting, so I am happy that all things are gradually beginning to turn around for everyone. He also invited us, so I hope that you will be there. It would be awesome to see you again._

_With kind regards,_

_Alphonse Elric_


	2. And I Say Hello

**If you did not already know, absolutely nothing Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to me. Everything belongs to their respective owners. So yeah. I hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but for May Chang of the Xingese Chang clan, all that absence did was make her a nervous wreck.

Honestly, the pure female's heart could barely take it whenever she thought about the fate of her poor, weakened Amestrian prince, Alphonse. Although the forefront of her mind had managed to stay moderately focused on the well-being of her people – thankfully Ling had kept good on his promise to help her small province by lending aid to her devastated clan – that did not stop her wandering thoughts from lingering onto the handsome, blond-headed Alchemist of her dreams. Late into the night, the short teenager would lay distraught against her pillow, plagued by a million and one problems, and her heart would silently hammer inside her chest. It would pang painfully in a confused fusion of desperation, hope, and longing. A tad pinch of fear also managed to mix its way into the edges of her heart, as the time gradually passed. Where was Alphonse?

As the Chang clan only continued to prosper, a large sense of joy began to take over the folks of her minuscule province. Still, even during all of the celebrating, the young princess could not help but worry over the health of the two Elric brothers; especially her darling Alphonse. The fear was slowly beginning to drive the princess crazy, as she had spent the past three months mentally agonizing over the fate of her dear Alphonse. Perhaps he had not made it. What if he died from malnutrition? No. Edward would have definitely written her if anything serious like that had happened. Surely Alphonse was alright.

Weeks, nay, literal _months_ it had been since May Chang last saw or heard from the two Elrics, and though she wholly believed in their strength, the form of her tiny heart, overly packed and weighed down with a heavy feeling of love, was just beginning to sink. Further and further, as the girl waited faithfully for a specific letter, the happiness of her unsullied soul would fall more with each passing day. It became so dank that, finally, she fell into a temperate depression. What she desperately wanted, no, needed was a message from her precious and spirited Alphonse just saying that he was okay. That was all she truly wished for. Unfortunately, the fact that Edward had never taken the time to write her did not help her worries. Ugh, that golden haired idiot! Surely, the stupid brother, Edward, had forgotten her request, but not Alphonse... Right? No. He could not have. The princess knew that Alphonse would never forget her; the kind man was far too sweet and considerate to ever do that.

Likewise, in regards to the Xing Princess's apparent shortage of letters, it was factual that May had _indeed_ received a few piles of letters during the past month. Each were written on the finest pieces of parchment and sent off in the best smelling envelopes. However, it was the image of the Xing royal symbol stamped firmly inside a round blot of red dried candlewax, which showed that all of the letters were addressed from the leaders of the other Xing clans. The raven haired princess found this to be extremely peculiar.

About a month or so ago, the King formally announced Ling's succession to the throne. Funnily enough, just a week and a couple days after the announcement, May began to receive letters from her various siblings and half-siblings. Each were suddenly writing to her for the first time ever. In the words of her siblings, each of the messages from her distanced kin expressed their own spirits of condolences, apologizing for the bleakness of her province's state and offering the promise of their everlasting assistance. The idea of this gave May mixed sentiments, for in some of the letters, within her heart, the princess knew what was written to be true. The majority of her siblings _were_ genuinely kind; thankfully, a trait from their mothers.

However, in the humble yet usually correct opinion of Princess May, what was left of the letters gave her the distinct impression of being downright obligatory. It was how the words were formatted, and the way the senders acted during the conferences between provinces. Actions speak louder than words, and all they spoke was lies, lies, and more lies. Utterly shameful, May would sour into a frown.

Regrettably, the young Xingese knew without a doubt where the hearts of that portion of her siblings lain, and it was definitely not with the lives of her people. Unlike Prince Ling, a man who Princess May knew to be both fun and kind, the senders of these parchments were the majority of her more hateful and angrier siblings; the ones who had looked down on her modest clan for years. These were the ones who seemed quite akin to the uncaring shortcomings of their father, and from their letters, the tiny teen could find little in their messages to actually believe in. Honestly, the worn-out female had such a diminutive number of things to believe in nowadays.

It was true that under the weight of their narrowed eyes, the Chang province was seen as a laughing stock. They were an embarrassment to all of Xing, mainly in regards to the amount of goods produced, exported, and the clan's monetary intake. The lack of food and currency was altogether accredited to the poor soil and overused land that was initially bestowed upon them the day that May was born. Immediately, both child and mother were sent off to rule the worst of May's father's provinces; her father was always the defining factor whenever it came to the young Chang girl's life.

 _Thanks a lot, King_ , May would often think out of pure bitterness.

That being said, the King did not always make terrible decisions. One slightly beneficial act performed by her father was when he sent a letter out to each of his children, ecstatically claiming that Ling Yao, the prince of the Yao clan, was to become the new King of Xing. When she first heard got wind this, May was instantly thrilled for her newfound friend. However, to her dismay, the thrill of her brother's well-deserved victory was quickly soured when she began to unexpectedly receive all of the aforementioned letters from her numerous siblings. The hilarity of the situation was terribly ironic.

Sometimes, May could only shake her head with a slight shrug. Alas, it was blatantly obvious that once Prince Ling was chosen to become the new king, he had requested the rest of their siblings to begin including the considerably lesser Chang clan in their affairs; a moderately terrible act to enact, as both accomplices and enemies now knew of her clan's desperate situation. Although, it _was_ a bit nice to have several of May's much wealthier siblings abruptly take the time out of their already hectic lives to message her out of the blue. Nonetheless, the entirety of the situation did nothing to halt the undeveloped teenager's want for the arrival of a specific parchment. A specific dispatch from a specific person, and no other message would do.

Thus, May Chang wished every evening. Furthermore, at every dawn, when the sun broke past the horizon to hang high amongst the brightness of day's first light, the princess would faithfully wake in her chambers. Then, with an overly hopeful and earnest expression on her face, the girl would hurry off to ask the royal mail carrier if such a parchment had arrived. Yet for every morning, with tears in her darkened eyes, the short female would receive the same, repeated answer. She would realize that nothing had come. Alphonse had sent nothing; Edward had sent nothing. Naught a message of any true, significant importance had come for the youthful princess.

And so, May slowly began to distance herself. It had begun as a handful of small, trivial things, such as the act of going to bed early or not participating in her people's celebrating. Reasonably, she had dealt with so much and had journeyed for so long, so her fatigue was completely justifiable. However, gradually the princess's withdrawal became more and more apparent. At this point, the lethargy of her actions was not simply a matter of tiredness, but it stemmed from a sickness of the heart.

May was sad. The small teenager felt downright unable to do anything, and very soon, the princess barely left her room at all. Eventually, the only thing that she left it for was to run downstairs every morning with a false sense of hope, secretly wishing for the possibly of being gifted with a letter from her longed for Alphonse, and yet, his note never came. Quickly, the hearts in her eyes were beginning to fade out. Over time, the weight of her sadness managed to leave a gloomy aura hanging around the Chang household, so thick that it almost suffocated its inhabitants. From her resting place outside, leaning against an old tree, May's mother closed her eyes and silently observed the form of her daughter with an accepting, melancholic mind. As always, her daughter could simply not see her.

So focused on the depths of her own inner turmoil, Princess May could not see what she was doing to herself nor her friends, the Chang staff. The idea of seeing their once confident and lively princess rapidly receding into herself worried the princess's chambermaids and butlers, so much so, that they repeatedly attempted to lift the girl's spirits. Yet the princess stayed the same. Still, these were the Xingese who she was the most closest to.

This is why on the first morning that May could not find the strength to get out of bed, her favorite chambermaid Hiyoriko came bursting through May's sliding bedroom door with her heart simply buzzing.

"May-chan, May-chan! W-Wake up, May-chan!"

Blinking her tired eyes, the princess in question merely stared, before throwing her head face-first into the comforts of her floor mat. After a quick inhale, the girl grumbled irritably into its cushions.

"Let me sleeeeep," the drained teenager groaned, "Just go, Hi-chan. I just want to sleeeeep."

Promptly, the maid gasped.

"But May-chan-"

At the sound her mistress's refusal, Hiyoriko quickly rushed to her princess's side and started to wildly showcase the closed envelope in her hand.

"P-Please wake up!"

As the distraught maid moved, the glasses sitting upon her nose knocked slightly askew. With one hand, she idly fixed them, while the other hand continued to rapidly throw around the envelope. The poor woman would have shook the sleeping royalty awake had May not been known for being an absolute beast in the mornings, unless woken by her own accord. The same went for her constant companion, Xiao Mei.

"You won't believe it. You finally got a letter from Alphonse-sama! Oh, please, y-you have to wake up."

Instantly, May cracked an eager eye.

"Alphonse?" the girl asked.

The dark haired princess swiftly reached out from the comforts of her blanket and hastily grabbed the cream colored envelope from the fretting maid. In one, precise swoop, the girl tore open the envelope using a special Xingese technique and gleefully touched inside. What she pulled out set her face afire.

"Oh, Alphonse!"

May stared lovingly at the picture in her palm, sniffling indelicately at the intense wave of emotion precipitously taking over her heart. The image was beautifully hopeful, and the sight of it passionately released her. It was utterly happy and warm. A few tears escaped the edges of her eyes, only to roll mutely down her cheek.

Suddenly feeling jovial, May hurriedly gestured for Hiyoriko to look at the picture, giving her a tearful smile. She gloriously held it out for the curious chambermaid to study, chocking over her happiness.

Speaking through a couple more sniffles, the princess shook with unadulterated relief, "L-Look Hi-chan! It's Alphonse! H-He's… He's alright. He's okay. Thank god. Thank god."

Gradually, May's sniffling turned into a set of open, uncontrollable sobs. It was true. The princess's darling Alphonse was steadily recovering with each and every day.

"H-He's s-so much bigger now, H-Hi-chan. A-At first… A-At first he was nothing but s-skin and bones, but now… he's better. M-Much better. Thank god. Thank god."

Hiyoriko smiled softly as May cried. Per her request, the older woman gazed with immense interest at the picture shaking gently in her mistress's outstretched hand. Somehow, the brightly lit picture spoke in enormous volumes and directly calmed the bifocaled maid. She could see how May would feel such an intense amount of reprieve from it; the image spoke of nothing but family, wholesomeness, and above all, hope.

Staring back at the chambermaid was a picture of a moderately healthy man with cropped blond hair sitting at a rustic, Westernized table. In the picture, behind him, stood a much broader flaxen haired man with an arm thrown enthusiastically around the seated man's neck. This man wore his hair in a long, brushed out ponytail. Nevertheless, it was easily to distinguish the two men as brothers; in fact, they were the infamous Elric brothers, two heroes brought alive by May's retelling of the tales which transpired while she was traveling outside of the country and journeying away to far off lands in search of the basis for immortality.

Hiyoriko almost felt like chuckling, as she eyed the two men's faces. Both of the boys were beaming at the camera, while the thinner man held up a withered peace sign towards the camera. The maid could plainly see that, in his golden eyes, there was a love for both life and laughter. Shining brightly within the man's honeyed irises was an intense, heartening expression of hope.

Princess May whimpered, as Hiyoriko softly placed a hand over the princess's head. The other hand moved to point carefully at the man sitting in the photo.

Shifting a bit closer to her mistress, the kind maid questioned, "Ne, May-chan, is this your precious Alphonse-sama?"

May blushed immediately, but silently nodded at the maid's question. As expected of her friend, the woman in front of her brought her hands together in a sudden clap and conspiringly grinned.

"Ah, well, you certainly found yourself a looker! Ne, May-chan?"

At the suggestive angle in Hiyoriko's voice, the princess blinked for a long moment, before riotously waving her hands in a wild rebuttal.

"N-No, I don't have Alphonse. I-I mean, Alphonse doesn't have me! I-I mean, Alphonse d-does have me, but I d-don't have Alphonse. W-Wait, that's not right. B-Because Alphonse is his own person, I d-don't have anyone. Actually, he d-doesn't have me, especially since I'm not currently with him. Y-Ya know, I don't even know why I should even bother with explaining this to you-"

"Just look at the photo May," Hiyoriko spoke comfortingly, "and then, look inside your heart. Peer deeply enough, and you will find that you have got it _really_ freaking bad for this boy."

Blushing further, May pursed her lips and pouted, "Thanks. To think I honestly believed that you were about to say something really profound, like, oh I don't know, a Xingese proverb or something."

"Oi!"

Hiyoriko promptly threw up an attentive finger in response.

"Now, listen here, you young grasshopper. You asked for a taste of my wisdom, so here it is. Be quiet and bask in my words of astute knowledge. Eh-hem."

May deadpanned, as her maid perfectly spoke, "When one door closes another door opens. Bless never come both, and accidents never come alone."

May immediately snorted and mumbled, "Cool lesson, bro. Tell it again."

"One day I shall," Hiyoriko grinned but nodded to the envelope still held in her mistress's hand. Smirking, she took a leering step toward the door, "But until that moment, I do believe that there is something currently residing in that envelope which presently requires your attention. Ne, May-chan?"

Hiyoriko winked.

May stared openly. The girl of Xing royalty blinked a second time, before peering nosily into the torn envelope. Her eyes widened. Mentally, the young teenager noticed the stickiness of her cheeks, as a sharp, shrill squeal erupted from her once she saw what was hidden inside. The maid quickly covered her ears in pain.

"I GOT A LETTER?"

" _Ichii_ , May! Yes, you are a bonafide genius," Hiyoriko grouched from her stance above her.

At that, May sent her maid a harsh glare.

"My bad."

The woman suddenly began to clap and yell, "I-I mean, _bonzaii_ , May! Congratulations! Bonzaii! Now when is the wedding?"

As her best human friend continued to clap, the princess finally gave a pleased grin.

"Though the sarcasm is definitely not appreciated," May began, "I do have to thank you for your help, Hi-chan. Thank you for delivering this to me. I was just about to give up… My day has certainly been made. Thank you."

Hiyoriko beamed and curtsied in respect to the princess, replying, "No problem at all, mam! Now, I do believe that I must head to the kitchens in order to have the kitchen staff prepare an amazing feast for tonight. We do have a big reason to celebrate today, what with the future prince of our clan finally getting in touch with you and all. Ah, it really is romantic!"

"W-Wait, what?" May stuttered out.

Hiyoriko feigned a pair of deaf ears and ran toward the door to May's bedroom. She threw open the door, turning one last time to give the princess a serious smirk.

"I have one last piece of wisdom for you before I leave, my princess."

May could only stare incredulously as her friend struck a confident pose.

"Never give up and never give in! No matter what, we keep on fighting! Gambarimas! The obstacles in life are constantly coming at us, but we must work to overcome them just as this Xingese proverb states-"

Hiyoriko threw up a defiant fist and squawked, "Trial often exhibits truly wonderful results!"

May ogled at her friend, "What?"

"The essence of this proverb basically means," the maid sing-songed, " _Good luck, May-chaaaan!_ "

Hiyoriko waved cheerfully and deftly hopped out of the doorway, swiftly sliding the paper door shut behind her. Sneering happily, the pretty woman gave a mischievous snicker, as she speedily made her way down the hallways of the Chang house, inelegantly performing a few merry kung fu moves as she skipped. Without thinking, she futilely fixed her glasses again.

"Keep fighting, May-chan!" the woman openly cheered, throwing her arms out in an excited motion. AH, yes. Today was already turning out to be a wonderful day. The attractive maid could not _wait_ to see what would happen next.

Through Hiyoriko's sudden excitement, the maid had managed to leave May sitting on the plush of her floor mat, utterly alone in the silence, and feeling absolutely flushed and confused. Suddenly, the girl felt terribly lost.

"Good luck?" the muddled princess parroted, "And what did she mean by that?"

Just as the thought vocalized itself in May's mind, the girl wholly threw out any of her senseless questions, including that one, for she vastly preferred the act of zealously opening Alphonse's letter. With an amazing speed, the Xing princess's eyes enthusiastically scanned the folded sheets in front of her. The tiny teenager laughed at what she read, gasping out loud when Alphonse asked if he was allowed to visit Xing. Why, of course he was! The words were written in a faintly shaky and off-center slant, a special yet oddly elegant sort of flow, which moved across the faded black lines of the many torn sheets of pad paper in front of her. She smiled tenderly, as her chest became increasingly lighter.

Overall, May Chang felt breathless. It was true that the man behind the words made her heart race. The sight of the pages even forced the princess to have to chuckle good-naturedly, as it was fully obvious where the pages had come from. The paper had to have come from a Westernized diary; Alphonse's diary.

"Oh, Alphonse, you sweet baby!" May lovingly gushed, "I'll write you a thousand pages. No, a million pages! I'll write as many pages as it takes in order to wholly show you my love!"

The princess babbled on further as she went to grab the necessary tools to write him back, singing her heartfelt promises, "I'll write you rain or shine. I'll write you day or night."

May stole a healthy stack of beautiful parchments from her dresser drawer and went to grab a bottle of ink from her nightstand. She placed both items, plus a feather quill, against the surface of her small bedroom table and gazed down at them in light content. The girl sat thankfully, dreamily staring at the bare sheet of parchment in front of her.

She sang, "I'll write you under the sun or by candlelight. Oh, hey! That moderately rhymed."

Sticking the end of her quill into the ink, the carefree princess went to begin writing her response but paused at the beginning of first line. Instantly, the idea of writing to her beloved Alphonse seemed so daunting, as the concept of being rejected by him had her worrying about the unknown. A ridiculous, cold sweat broke out across her brow.

"G-Get a grip, May!" the princess cried, giving her cheeks a loud slap. The girl immediately leaned over to scratch her favorite animal's back, Xiao Mei, who lay passed out on the floor beside her, strangely immune to the loudness that was Hiyoriko.

Swallowing deeply, May stuttered out a response.

"W-Well, maybe I won't write that much. I wonder, s-should I be formal? Should I be friendly? How do I even begin? What do I even call him? Would he get offended? OH, ALPHONSE."

May fell onto her back in dramatic agony and threw an arm exhaustedly over her face.

"Whatever will I do? Whatever will I say? Please! Please help me Xiao Mei."

As if by magic, Xiao Mei slowly wiggled awake and stared boredly at her owner. Then, she bit her face.

_That's it!_

May instantly shot up with an intent look in her eyes, and Xiao Mei latched onto her skin, only to fall clumsily onto the floor from her sudden height. The miniature panda let out a minute roar of disapproval.

"You're absolutely right Xiao Mei!" the stubborn princess agreed, causing the panda to openly gawk.

Confident in her love's faithfulness, the girl pronounced, "Alphonse is not that kind of man, and he has never been one to simply throw away his friendships! He is much too kind and honest to do that! He is basically a prince inside and out, and the guy is really adorable and cute! Plus, Xiao Mei, he likes cats!"

The panda in question shook her head wildly and jumped to angrily bite May's hand. The princess shrugged her off carelessly.

"No need to try and convince me, Xiao Mei! I already know what you are trying to tell m.! I am going to write Alphonse, and then the two of us are going to be oh, so happy! Just you watch, Xiao Mei! Alphonse and I are going to be a perfect couple. I have finally gotten a letter from him; now all I have to do is write him back."

Listening to her owner prattle on, Xiao Mei headbutted May's arm, before rudely hopping on the table. Then, she started to chew on the pieces of finely pressed paper and harshly ripped into the sheets to create a tall pile of shredded, snow-like fragments. May let out a horrified gasp.

"Xiao Mei!" the appalled princess shrieked, "What do you think you are doing?"

The panda paused mid-chew to glare heatedly at her owner, but shook her tiny butt in response, and commenced to devilishly split all of the paper. The animal's eyes glinted evilly, as the panda tossed the shriveled bits of parchment in all directions, left and right. A small flurry of white paper snow inexplicably lofted into the air, gently coming to land across May's floor in a thin blanket of snow. On impact, Xiao Mei felt immensely proud of herself. Watching the pieces fall made her feel successful in her aversion of the princess ever writing back to that no good, hunk of old junk. The damn guy did not even feel pain whenever the panda bit him. The nerve of him. The man had made an absolute fool of her strength.

Xiao Mei thought that she had done a good deed, however, May Chang believed her pet to be sorely mistaken. She was pissed!

"That's it!" the princess authoritatively yelled, as she harshly picked up her miniature panda, "You are going on time out! You hear me, Xiao Mei? Time out!"

Xiao Mei's eyes widened in shock. Knowing that she was about to be thrown out, the minuscule panda began to trash around in Mei's hands. The princess let out a breathy curse.

"Just look at all of the mess you made!" the teenager almost shouted as she fought with her upset panda, "Do you know how long it is going to take me to pick all of this up? Huh, do you? Just when I was about to write back Alphonse, too. Out with you Xiao Mei, out!"

May abruptly slung open the sliding paper door to her bedroom and unceremoniously dumped her pet out onto the cold hardwood floor. As she hit the floor with a dull, resounding thud, Xiao Mei gave an overly indignant and melodramatic shout.

"Now, since you are out, I want you to stay out here and mull over what you have done! Good day, Xiao Mei!"

The miniature panda blinked incredulously, as the door was slammed shut before her. Grumbling to herself, the pet stared for a long, drawn-out moment, before eventually reaching a hind leg up to carelessly scratch at her ear. Then, she let out a low meow of distinct displeasure and shrugged off her owner's stupidity. This was just what the poor panda had to deal with. Thus, with that thought in mind, the panda shook her butt in the direction of May's closed door and stalked angrily towards the Chang clan house kitchen, grumbling all the way as she searched for some morning grub. Thankfully, luck was on the tiny panda's side, as all of the Chang staff members were total suckers.

* * *

"That dumb, inconsiderate panda-"

May sighed indelicately, as she stopped mid statement.

"No, I'm sorry Xiao Mei. I'm sorry for calling you such terrible names, but this is important! I cannot have you stopping me from writing Alphonse. It has been so long since we last saw each other, and besides... we're basically lovers by now. Well, not technically. Well... hopefully in the future we will be. But that is not the point! Anyway, you have to get over this one day, Xiao Mei... My darling needs me."

Gazing at a new stack of blank papers with a mixture of both trepidation and glee, Princess May gave a resigned sigh. Smiling gently, she carefully dipped the sharper tip of her quill into her container of ink and pulled it out, softly clinking the excess back into the container. Raising the quill, she placed it a centimeter above the parchment, feeling her throat swell with fear. The sensation was entirely nerve-wracking, mentally knowing that Alphonse would one day read her message. It made her pulse quicken and her breath heavy. The young princess could barely control her sudden bout of nervousness.

After a long minute of silent staring, the girl gently rested the end of her freshly dipped quill against the parchment. At last, the first line of kanji was written.

"With this ink," May solemnly vowed, "I begin a new chapter of my life-"

The dark haired royalty gasped, as her thick wrist suddenly knocked into the small container of ink, accidentally spilling it across her table and all over her freshly placed parchments. Staring brokenly downward at the blackened sheets before her, the young teenager gave an audible, self-depreciating cry, as she mentally mourned the loss of their pristine whiteness.

As if on cue, May felt a couple of wet tears enter the very edges of her darkened eyes.

"Oh, if only Alphonse were here," the princess quietly sniffled, wishing deep within her heart that her love was near.

* * *

**Well that is it for this chapter! Please forgive any mistakes if you see them. It's kind of hard writing without a beta (haha). Anyway, get prepared to see some Alphonse and maybe a bit more next chapter! I.E. a certain hot headed blondie and a cute, workaholic mechanic. Ahhh, they are all such a freaking cuties! By the way, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Please leave me a comment, follow, and/or fave if you want more! (:**

**Till then, bye everyone! xx**


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